Dine Out Recap: A Feast of World-Class Sushi, Laksa Bombs and Top-Tier Wagyu at Ho Jiak

They say three’s a crowd. But that wasn’t the case at Ho Jiak last night – where top Sydney restaurateur Junda Khoo hosted a singular dinner with Sydney culinary heavyweights Toshihiko Oe and Corey Costelloe.

The exclusive event was part of Broadsheet ’s debut Dine Out food festival – which is firing up across Melbourne this week with parties, walk-in food specials and one-off dinners. Khoo, who opened three of Melbourne’s most talked-about restaurants this year in one CBD complex – Ho Jiak, Ho Liao and Da Bao – flew down to bring the bold collaboration to Melbourne diners.

The night kicked off with a sashimi and nigiri course by Oe – whose eponymous six-seat omakase restaurant is one of the hardest bookings to get in Sydney. The distinguished chef stood quietly at a counter overlooking the restaurant, his hands deftly moulding rice into one-bite nigiri with top-quality calamari, plump scallops and Paradise prawns.

Of course, there was a round of Khoo’s signature Malaysian snacks – including his Masterchef -famous laksa bombs and juicy Shark Bay scallops with sambal and XO sauce.

For mains, Costelloe, the esteemed chef behind Sydney’s acclaimed 20 Chapel (which ranked number 93 on the 2025 World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants list), took the grill. Costelloe served a perfectly smoky and juicy cut of David Blackmore striploin Wagyu alongside Wagyu-fat-steamed rice; house-made pickled jalapeno and barbeque sauces; and tart pickled radishes and cabbages.

For dessert, the Ho Jiak kitchen served a round of Malaysian and Southeast Asian-inspired desserts – including pistachio ang ku kueh and a knockout pisang (banana) crepe that was torched to imitate a classic crème brûlée.

The result was a beautifully unexpected journey across three culinary worlds – Japanese, Malaysian and European – executed by three masters at the top of their game.